After work this week, I was walking out to my car, just like every day around 4:30.  It’s funny how we can get into a practice, perform the same actions every day, get immersed in the tedious little details, routine follows routine, until we don’t really notice.…. Want to know what I noticed today?

I noticed a co-worker walking out to the parking lot with her little ones following close behind.  Toddling under the weight of backpacks, twittering and chatting about – well, I wasn’t close enough to hear words, I just heard the timbre of little voices.  It made me remember when I had three following me around, chatting and trading stories, and falling asleep in the backseat and singing songs and sticking their tongues out (let’s be honest – they were littles just like every other little out there!) and reading books and reciting memory verses. I loved those days!

We had a routine – every morning, I told them the same verses:

“Work heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men, because you serve the Lord Jesus Christ and you will receive your reward from Him” Colossians 3:23

“Do all things without complaining that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” Philippians 2:14-15

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly” Proverbs 18:24

Every morning a routine.  Some mornings, not much discussion.  Some mornings, a lot of discussion.  Shared examples from life yesterday.  Shared ways we succeeded in living up to these verses,  and we shared ways we should have done better. Every morning, a blessing and prayer.  Every morning the same simple reminders: Work hard. Be purposeful in dedicating daily activity to the Lord.  Be friendly. Shine like a light in a dark world.

After remembering our rides to school, I went back further and remembered when they were babies and toddlers.  I used to sing to them a song and the words went, “I’ll love you forever and forever, love you with all my heart.  Love you whenever we’re together, love you when we’re apart. ” Those words were so true and still are ❤ The next lyric in that song didn’t make complete sense to me until later.  I’ll circle back 🙂

I miss them being little, those precious days, but can I tell you one more thing? I wouldn’t trade today for anything in the world, honest promise.  I love them being grown and coming into themselves, these precious days.

Now my three are growing older: figuring out who they are and Whose they are, finding and following their God-given callings, developing their unique gifts, making efforts to walk worthy of their calling.  Maybe those little reminders are in there somewhere, little treasures I was able to tuck into their pockets before they left me. And the next lyric in that song? It makes sense today. Here it is: “And when at last I find you, your song will fill me up: sing it loud so I can hear you. Make it easy to be near you, and the things you do endear you to me….”

“When at last I find you” – developing into godly young men and lady, my knowing them better now than I did when they were tiny. “Your song will fill me up” – listening to their songs being sung to the Lord, little echoes of my song coming back to my mother’s heart. “Sing it loud so I can hear you” – praying that they’ll always be close enough for me to hear them, even across states, maybe even across continents. Safe enough to sing, and close enough to the Lord to have a reason to sing. “The things you do endear you to me” – my three babies (I guess I’ll always call them “the babies”) growing more precious to me daily, loving them more deeply with every step they take on their own. So proud. Heart bursting.

Those common every-day type of days are easy to forget – but it’s in those common every-day type of days that the real work is accomplished.  Let’s get into a practice, perform the same actions every day, get immersed in the tedious little details, routine follows routine; and as often as we can remember, let’s notice and cherish. Opportunities to invest in those closest to you, to sing and recite until new songs echo back into your life from those loved sources? That’s a treasure ❤

Thanks for listening to my song, my babies. Thanks for hearing.  Thanks a MILLION TIMES OVER for singing your song back to me.  Sing it loud so I can hear you. You three, my greatest gifts, my most prized treasures. I love you so ❤

praying that you have someone to invest in, or someone to invest in you today!

Jennifer